IS education wasted on the young?

Question

What's the solution? (to those that would say yes)
Me, I reflect back upon my twelve tears of FREE education, and realize that I just wasn't interested... but now know that I would have been, if only I had understood at the time that all that seemingly useless information DID ACTUALLY APPLY.
Would it help if somehow there was a means of demonstrating early where and how knowledge can and will be put to use?
Example: Math sucks, but there's no way to be a rocket engineer without it...
or
English sucks, but language skills are essential for being a famous novelist...
etc.
How to generate INTEREST in the young?
Discuss.

Answer 1

They need to at least start with an education, or they won't see how little they know when they get older. I think we need a second stage of schooling after we've been in the real world for a while, so we can go back and study those things we've found out that we're interested in.

Answer 2

Public Education doesn't happen
The substance of the material FAILS the people involved.
Children are far more intelligent than the curriculum assumes.
If they had classes that actually pretended to treat children like human beings, I might have stayed in that prison of indoctrination, bells and arbitrary "Thou Shalt Nots".

I didn't get a taste for algebra until 8th grade...
You know how many years I knew my multiplication table before that? A second language.. Again 8th grade.
No literature, poems, actual sources.
I think visual arts or sports was the only way to get out of that place with any integrity, in short, I doubt you could have learned anything FREE, since it's all PRESCRIBED by the state to make you into a docile, uncritical dufus. Look at private education. The disparity isn't noticeable; it's Total.

Answer 3

The sad thing is that children are naturally curious and want to learn. They just don't want to sit in a chair for 7 hours being taught facts of no forseeable value, much of which has no value at all at any point in life.

Children, much like adults, are motivated to learn that which they see value in learning, or have an interest in. Most kids want to know how to read because they see the letters and such and want to know what they say without having to always ask an adult.

They typically want to learn how to count too, because a lot of fun things (like winning games) depend on being able to count properly. But then when you start getting into math, there's no clear payoff or application of it. ...and it turns out that even most adults rarely use any math other than addition, subtraction, and percentages (45% off sales you know). Or history, why would a 10 year old care about the rediculous watered down history of names and dates they get taught? Most of what passes for education really is a waste of time and effort.

To interest kids in math, don't present them quantum physics, present them games that require the use of math to win, and I don't mean games where math is a contrived aspect of the game, but rather, where it's an integral aspect of the game. Playing such games could take the place of drills (which no-one uses anymore anyway). Once they have the desire, then classroom instruction takes on meaning.

Answer 4

I think the young and even the very young are very much worth education. Maybe the problem is sticking them in classrooms with uncomfortable chairs and a strict curriculum. Maybe we're teaching them the wrong things. Math, English and that sh*t is good. What I mean is some kids just don't find the method that interesting. I used to take walks with my mom and marvel at the plants and animals. She explained as much as she could to me, what if I was with a biologist? What might I have become? TV doesn't cut it. Boring tests and lectures don't either. My god, if we spent the time teaching our kids, from infancy what might they become? I know a broad who has a five year old. She talks to her like I talk to my dogs. Hows her doin? That little girl should already be reading and writing. Why wait until kindergarten to start educating? Interesting kids isn't difficult. You just have to find the things that they like and start explaining things to them. I think all kids enjoy learning. All they ever hear is, you'll understand when you get older. What?! If they can ask the question, they deserve the answer, not, babies come from storks. Give em the benefit of the doubt, they like it when you listen to them and their opinions. Instead of telling them, mommies busy go play with your barbies.

Answer 5

I think its the educators who are at fault for not making you see how important and interesting all that material actually was. I am a teen and i am well aware how important education is, and i have had my fair share of teachers who are better of in a nursing home that in front of a class teaching civics (if you can call what she did teaching). But essentially, i agree with what you have to say, that maybe we all would make more of an effort if we knew now how important all this stuff would be later. But I'm sure if we got a few teachers who could actually teach....

Answer 6

You can only expect so much.

You can't put old heads on young shoulders -- sex is far more interesting than math or English. No manner of teacher has ever succeeded in making their subjects interesting to ALL students ALL of the time, but sometimes you can make some students interested in it.

Provided, of course, that the teacher is interested in it.

One of the biggest problems is that too many teachers are asked to teach subjects they don't like, at grades and levels for which they have insufficient preparation. (Making basic level English interesting to Grade 9s taxes me completely, for example. More power to those that can do it!)

Answer 7

Interesting question! I think back over my thirteen years of schooling and while I was very eager to learn during my primary school years (as kids of that age tend to be), I realise now I was quite lazy in my high school life. I did put in effort but not as much as I could have and it was more learning for the sake of passing exams than for an actual thirst of learning. I think at that age, you don't think learning can be fun and are too interested in other aspects of life such as growing up, friends and your social life.

I think to make schooling more interesting to teenagers, as this is the age group that tend to slack off, schools need to make more of an effort to tailor the education to each individual child with less emphasis on the need to pass exams. Not every child is academic so their strengths shoud be geared towards the arts and more hands-on subject like techlology (wood work in the US) and encouraged on that route. Teachers should spend less time worrying about exam league tables and more time on getting kids to enjoy their work although it's not entirely the teachers' fault since society in general is so obsessed over exams that kids are so stressed that they can't enjoy their schooling.

Answer 8

Hmm.. Education is very strict here in lithuania. And everyone is educated to be a genius. Of course peopl hate it, of course people just arent geniuses. But comparing to the same age , for instance, american students, they are geniuses in fact. I think that there is no way to make students interested in a subject that just isnt interesting to them, but if we make them to know sh** loads of that subject they would know much more than he other student who isnt interested and isnt forced to know anything.

Well, in fact thee could be one way.. I had a wonderful physics teacher who made me find an interest in physics. Teachers could show students that there are some interesting sides in tehir subjects, but they could not be clear without understanding and knowing the basics, so, everyone learns the basics and falls into the tings which are beyond teh curriculum.. and spreads their education.

Answer 9

it is easier to teach the young. the older you get the harder it is to learn. i think most kids at least at some point think that school is a waste of time. no matter how much you tell kids that they are going to need what they learn, it doesn't do any good. they don't see the use for it and you aren't going to change that. i think with the right teachers though you can get kids interested in learning.

Answer 10

The young is the future leader of the world.